Row over Chinese new year parade

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Frozen out ... Falun Dafa members say they will gatecrash the new year party.Photo: Jon Reid

The city's colourful Chinese new year parade is at risk of being
derailed this year, with the Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, urging
organisers to overturn a five-year ban on the Falun Dafa
Association, a quasi-religious movement banned by the Chinese
Government. also known as Falun Gong.

In the past, Town Hall has been an independent "logistics
partner", leaving responsibility to the Chinese New Year Festival
subcommittee, a group of prominent community representatives.

However, Cr Moore - presiding as city leader in her first
festival - last week wrote to the committee's chairman, King Fong,
demanding to see "the criteria for selecting groups" who
participate in the parade - concerned that Falun Dafa's continued
"exclusion ... is discriminatory".

The committee fears that if Cr Moore insists on Falun Dafa's
inclusion in the parade performers will pull out, and key sponsors
will abandon them.

"We have had this issue before us for the past few years," Mr
Fong said, "and there are a lot of issues involved. But if we
support Falun Gong, and they are banned in China, it is realistic
to say that China could affect some of our trade and cultural
concessions. We locally don't want to play politics ... but we also
don't want to harm our relationship with China."

Cr Moore said she had been lobbied by the association's
president, John Deller, who told the Herald yesterday his
group would gatecrash the parade this year, regardless of whether
it was given approval, in a protest at its treatment.

"We have been ignored in the past ... but this year we plan
presenting ourselves to the parade," Mr Deller said.

"We want to present the beauty of our organisation, and have
advised the police of our intentions. As always, we will be
peaceful."

In her letter, Cr Moore conceded it was "convention" for Town
Hall to play "no part in determining the content of the parade to
ensure that it remains a community event, managed by members of the
community".

"I am, however, concerned by Mr Deller's suggestion that Falun
Dafa's exclusion from the parade is discriminatory," she wrote.

"So that I may be assured that this is not the case, could you
provide me with the criteria for selecting groups to take part in
the parade. While I acknowledge that preparations for the parade
may be well advanced, is it possible ... to consider whether the
Falun Dafa Association meets these criteria, and if so, invite the
association to participate in the parade?"

Mr Fong said the committee would meet tonight to debate Cr
Moore's letter and her suggestions, but he believed the ban on
Falun Dafa would remain in place because of fears of a Beijing-led
backlash.